A series of lectures delivered by al-Sayyid al-Habib Umar on the the text, The Spheres of Iman, Islam, Ihsan and Irfan by Habib Abd al-Rahman BalFaqih. The lectures were delivered at the Mahabbah Foundation's International Spiritual Retreat in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Habib 'Abdul Rahman Balfaqih, may Allah be pleased with him, was described by his teacher, Imam al-Haddad, may Allah be pleased with him, as "the greatest scholar on earth".

Imam Balfaqih describes the Islamic faith as a series
of endlessly expanding concentric spheres. In doing so, he clarifies
what the seeker must do to strengthen his faith and attain the highest
of spiritual stations.

“Entry into Islam by pronouncing the two testifications of faith is like the central point of the Sphere of Islam and Iman. It is also the central point of the spheres which come after it: the Sphere of `Ilm (Knowledge) and Bayan (Clarification), the Sphere of Ihsan (Excellence), and the Sphere of ‘Irfan (Gnosis), and so on, endlessly.”

Although
succinct in its composition, the Paperback book contains meaning which is
limitless. It has been said that no work like this has ever been
authored.

“One of the most beneficial, comprehensive and lofty books which clarify the path to Allah and explain the realms of connection to Him and drawing close to Him.” ---Al-Habib 'Umar bin Hafiz.